Parnassia asarifolia aka Kidney Leaf Grass Of Parnassus

Parnassia asarifolia is a wildflower that lives for many years. It belongs to the Celastraceae family. Common names include Appalachian grass-of-Parnassus and kidney-leaf grass-of-Parnassus. It grows in the eastern United States. This range includes the mountains of North Carolina. Kew gives its native range as West Virginia to Texas. Records also place it in Maryland, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They include Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas as well. In the wild, it grows in bogs and seeps. It also grows on the banks of streams.

This plant has soft stems and forms upright clumps. It grows up to 1 foot [0.30 m] tall. Its leaves fall; they do not stay green year-round. Long leaf stalks grow from a rosette at ground level. The basal leaves, at the base, have a kidney shape. Their edges are smooth, and they have no hairs. Each leaf is simple, not split into leaflets. The leaf account gives a length near 0.33 feet [0.10 m]. The broader size range is 0.25–0.5 feet [0.08–0.15 m]. One leaf clasps the round, green stem. The stem has no scent.

Each white flower has five petals with clear green veins. Each petal has a narrow base, a form called clawed. Five stamens sit between the petals, not across from them. Each bloom spans about 0.08 feet [0.025 m]. Flowers bloom from July through October, in summer and fall. These late blooms add value to native gardens. Fruit comes in fall, with records from September through November. The source lists songbirds among the wildlife the plant draws. It gives no fruit shape or human food use.

Grow this species in sun or part shade. It grows in sandy soil or loam and favors acid soil. Its roots need soil that stays moist to wet. Do not let the soil dry out in summer. Its wild sites point to a need for steady water. Bog gardens and wet ground by ponds meet these needs. Stream edges and slopes with seepage match its wild sites. NC State lists USDA hardiness zones 6a through 7b.

Use it where a small, upright, long-lived wetland plant fits. Its low leaf rosette and pale blooms give it distinct traits. NC State lists seed and division as ways to grow more. The evidence names no specific pest or disease concerns. It gives no firm proof of safe food use. Nor does it give firm proof of toxicity.